Linka's Life in the Loud House
by ThirdCoffin
Summary: Loud House AU featuring Linka Loud and her many brothers. Join Linka as she struggles to find herself while she helps her family and friends do the same. Rated M for future language use and possible Lemons. Loudcest has been struck off the table by popular vote and author's preference. The Loud House is owned by Nickelodeon and belongs to them in its entirety.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is a Loud House AU set 3 years into the future of Linka Loud, whom we all know as the female version of Lincoln. She will albino in this AU to explain her white hair. Her personality will differ from Lincoln's, as being a girl intrinsically changes a lot of the experiences that Lincoln has been through. Loki is still home as he feels a need to take care of his family from home (Also he's going to college and is an all around lazy dude, I just really liked the idea of writing him but wanted a future AU and I'm complicated). Without further ado, welcome to the first chapter of my first ever fanfiction! Lemons may or may not be featured later on, still debating on that.**

 _The first thing she noticed was a feeling of weightlessness. Her eyes slowly opened, and she was surrounded by a darkness._

 _No, darkness wasn't the right word._

 _She was surrounded by nothingness._

 _It wasn't discomforting, quite the opposite in fact. She could feel herself drifting slowly, her snow-white hair spreading around her as if she were underwater, gently swaying in a nonexistent breeze while she fought to remember._

 _She couldn't even recall her name right now, much less anything else about herself. She floated for a long while before it came to her._

 _Linka._

 _Linka..._

 _ **LINKA!**_

…

"Linka would you wake up already! You're going to be late for school!"

Linka awoke with a start, her heart beating loudly in her ears as someone pounded on her bedroom door. Her eldest brother, Loki, turned the knob and peeked in with an expression of equal parts annoyance and puppy love for his only sister.

"C'mon sis, it's already 6:30," he chided while turning on the lights. Linka blinked and winced at the sudden brightness, her emerald-green eyes narrowing to slits as she groaned at her older brother.

"Five more minutes?" She asked miserably, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, her white braid falling from her shoulder and across her back as she stretched and yawned weakly. Her brother's expression softened and he sighed quietly, walking into the converted linen closet and patting his younger sister's head.

"Five more minutes is all you're getting, sleepyhead. After that, it'll be the tickle monster coming to get you up," he teased her, his hand falling from her head to the back of her neck and grazing over her pale skin, making her giggle uncontrollably as goosebumps sprung up against her will.

"Loki! I'm not a little kid anymore!" she pouted and crossed her arms after smacking his hand away and blushing furiously. She was always so embarrassed when her brothers treated her like a child. "Stop with the tickle monster stuff."

Loki laughed gently as he walked back towards the door, amused as he always was when teasing his sister. He looked back as he walked out and called out softly before the door closed behind him, "T minus 5 minutes until tickle-geddon."

Stretching one more time and throwing her pink comforter off of her, Linka couldn't help but smile as she began to get ready for the day. She loved her brothers and their weird mannerisms and quirks, even if they were insufferable with how goo-goo they were over her. Walking over to her small vanity, she undid her loose sleeping braid and grabbed her hairbrush, counting silently to herself as she began to work her elbow-length snowy hair into some semblance of order.

With a soft groan, she opened her door and shambled out into the hallway and to the single bathroom of the large house she lived in with her 10 brothers. Locking the bathroom door behind her, she quickly shed her clothes and started the shower, hopping into the still-cold stream with a small _Eep!_ and washing herself with as much efficiency as her sleep-addled brain would allow her.

Turning off the water, she wrapped herself and her hair each in a towel and grabbed her clothes from the floor before venturing out into the still-empty hallway. It would be another 15 minutes or so before the rest of her brothers would be up and about, Loki being the only other person up before 7:00 to make breakfast for his younger siblings. He always woke her up a little early, knowing she appreciated being able to start her day before her brothers could destroy the bathroom. Plus, she wasn't comfortable walking around in front of _any_ boy in just a towel, especially since puberty had begun to fill out her petite body into a not-so-petite build. Grabbing the undergarments she had set out the night before, she began to get dressed for the day ahead.

She hummed softly to herself as she threw her nightie into her tiny wicker hamper, the white satin crumpling into itself as it came to rest on top of a pile of other soiled clothing. _It's my turn this week to do laundry_ , she thought to herself with a sigh as she pulled an orange blouse out of her closet and over her head, making sure to pull every strand of her hair through the collar before walking to her diminutive dresser and selecting a simple blue skirt with a hatch-mark pattern that came down to just above her knees. Taking the towels she had used and throwing them into the hamper to join her nightclothes, she twirled in front of the mirror hanging on her door to make sure nothing was out of place.

She stopped and looked at herself in profile, looking particularly at her chest and rear. She had begun to fill out slightly and wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not. She noticed how her skirt rode a little higher than she was used to and sighed again, definitely unhappy about having to shop for new outfits soon. _New bras, too_ , she thought to herself as her hands traveled up her slim frame and traveled over the slight rise of her chest. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, checking the clock on her nightstand one more time before closing the door behind her. 6:57. _Three more minutes until the house became...well...Loud._

"That was almost as bad as one of Lane's jokes." She muttered to herself as she walked to the top of the staircase and began to head down, thinking of breakfast. She could hear the sizzle of bacon cooking on the stovetop as Loki finished preparing the large breakfast the Loud family always had. Stepping into the kitchen, she inhaled deeply the smell of eggs, bacon, and french toast wafting through the air and smiled brightly at Loki as he turned around, a small pink plate piled high with eggs and bacon in his hands. Taking a seat at the long table, she snatched one of the glasses that were lined up and began to fill it from the large pitcher of orange juice that sat in the center.

"There's the sister I know and love! Did you know there was a zombie in your room earlier?" He chuckled as he set the plate down in front of her, her stomach growling loudly as she looked at the food. "Still as hungry as one of the living dead though, huh?"

"Hush," she chided him absentmindedly, her thoughts consumed by the food in front of her as her other siblings began to stir and crash around upstairs, the cacophony of noises that usually graced the Loud house beginning its climb from silence to a dull roar. She could hear Lynn and Luke arguing over who would get to use the bathroom first, both having raced to the door and reached the threshold at the same time. More voices began to join the argument as her other brothers reached the bathroom and began to urge the two to hurry up.

"There's my cue," Loki sighed to himself as he began to climb the stairs to sort out his squabbling siblings. "If you help yourself to seconds no one would be the wiser, Linkie." He called back to her, making her blush again at her childhood nickname.

"How much does he think I can eat? It's not like I'm a bottomless pit!" she mumbled to herself as, despite her words, she gave herself another small helping of eggs and one more piece of bacon. She ate slower this time around, putting her dishes in the sink just as Lynn slid down the banister and careened into the kitchen wearing his signature #1 jersey and red shorts.

"Mornin' Link!" he called cheerfully as he began to fill a plate with tons of bacon, with relatively small amounts of eggs and french toast added to the mix. "Would you mind playing catch with me after school today? None of these other wimps wanna mess with Lynn-sanity today."

"Have you tried asking them AFTER they've been awake for more than 3 minutes?" She responded with a laugh, mussing his hair similarly to the way Loki had done to hers. "I'm sure they'd be much more willing if you weren't so intense in the mornings."

"It's not my fault they're all slow to wake up! It's because they're not active enough!" Her brother complained with a huff. "Besides, they all throw like girls anyway. Not that that's a bad thing or anything!" this last part being tacked on as she gave him a chilly look. "Pleeeaase, Linka?"

"Sure thing, Lynn, just try not to peg me again." she gave in, smiling as her slightly older brother punched his fist into the air in victory.

"Yeah, last time you guys played catch you gave her a bruise the size of Michigan on her left arm," yawned Luke, her third eldest brother and rockstar of the family, as he padded barefoot into the kitchen. Despite not wearing socks, he had on his usual black jeans and purple shirt, a large printed skull decorating the front. His studded belt jangled slightly with each step he took towards the mound of food atop the stove.

"It was an accident!" Lynn's face was red with embarrassment as he remembered the incident.

"I think you were just upset that she can throw faster than you can, lil bro," Luke pressed on with a wink at Linka before grabbing his own plate and starting to pile it high with eggs and toast. "Fench toast today?! Rockiiiiin!"

His and Lynn's argument was lost in the maelstrom of noise that consisted of her remaining brothers. Loki and Loni wandered in at the head of the pack laughing about some video they had found online while closely behind them Lane was breaking up an argument between Leif and Lexx about one of Lexx's many reptiles (mostly about where he was keeping said reptile) and cracking jokes constantly. Lars definitively ended the argument by popping up seemingly out of nowhere and giving his two cents, punctuated with a melancholic sigh. The veritable parade finished with a grumpy-looking Levi leading a bubbly Leon into the kitchen.

Linka looked at all of them from the kitchen doorway, arguing and fighting (biting being involved in the twins' case), and smiled at the warm glow she felt in her heart. ' _Ten boys, one girl_ ,' she thought to herself, ' _...wouldn't change it for the world.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I will be updating this as readily as I can. I have a few things coming up and in February I will be forced into a 2 or 3 month hiatus due to unavoidable circumstance. Rest assured I will update this as much as I can and as long as people are happy to be along for the ride. For the time being I have decided to keep lemons or loudcest out of the first couple chapters at least. I may write a one shot or two that does feature lemons and/or loudcest in the near future. I am readily open to critiquing and any suggestions (while I cannot guarantee I will follow them) are always welcome! I haven't written in more than 3 years, as I stopped right before I started to attend college.**

 **I will continue to work on this as often as I can, as I am beginning to fall in love with all of these characters. My main sources of inspiration for writing this fic are Archemios, AberrantScript, Flagg1991, TotCall720, and Fallen Pens. Special thanks to Red for favoriting! I was honestly considering just leaving this as a one off until I saw that notification. More author's notes at the bottom, because I'm sure you guys cannot wait for chapter 2! ENJOY!**

After an uneventful day at school attending classes and talking to her best friend, Claire McBride, Linka's tired feet carried her over the threshold of her home's front door. She couldn't wait to sit down in her room and relax while reading the latest issue of Ace Savvy in her room. As she climbed the stairs to the second floor, she remembered her promise to Lynn and resigned herself to reading the comic book once she was done playing with him.

She dropped her bookbag into her room and looked longingly at the neat pile of comic books on her nightstand one last time before shutting the door and heading over to Lynn and Lars' door and knocking politely.

"Enter." she heard a somber voice intone, and she couldn't help but smile as she opened the door to find Lars on his bed writing yet another poem into his journal. He looked up and Linka could see the beginnings of a smile teasing the corners of his mouth before he remembered himself and mended his facade. He addressed her again, his mask of bleakness once more hiding the warm glow that he felt whenever he saw his older sister.

"Hello, Linka. What's up?"

"Hey Lars, I was just wondering if Lynn was in here but," she cast her eyes around the otherwise empty room. "It doesn't seem like he is."

"I haven't seen him since this morning," Lars intoned morosely. "Sorry Linka."

"No need to be sorry, silly!" She chirruped cheerfully, pinching his cheek and laughing softly at the blush the crept over his pale skin. _He's almost as pale as me,_ she thought to herself, comparing their skin tones."Once you're done with your poems come find me and I'll read them, alright? I've gotta go find Lynn and play some catch with him first though."

"I'd like that. Thank you, Linka." Lars couldn't help letting a little bit of emotion creep into his voice as his sister yet again gave up her personal time to help her brothers. She truly was one of the most selfless people he had ever met. "I'll try to keep as much gore as I can out of it," he knew she hated gore and mentions of dead bodies, especially in detail. "If only life were as thoughtful as I." he added, determined to be as bleak as possible. Linka just giggled again and walked out of his room, closing the door softly behind her.

Wandering to the top of the stairs, she wondered where Lynn could be as Luke's amps began their assault on the neighborhoods' eardrums. She began her descent and heard the pitter patter of the twins' feet as Lexx chased Leif through the house yet again, hollering at the top of his lungs about how his shirt was ruined.

Luke's voice could be heard over the din, gentle despite the volume of the music that was blasting through his thin door and down the stairs.

" _That's why they call me bad company, and I can't deny!"_

Linka hummed along to the tune as she continued her journey through the house and into the backyard, spying Lynn by the tree as he tossed a baseball into the air repeatedly, catching it as it came down towards him. He seemed lost in thought as he kept himself busy, perking up when he saw his sister and sprinting over to her, meeting her halfway across the large yard.

"Hey Linka! Ready to play some catch?" He asked excitedly, always happy when she agreed to play with him. Although she didn't look like much, Linka had toned her body over years of being Lynns training partner / punching bag. At this point, she was the only one out of all of his siblings who could keep pace with him as he continued to soar above the expectations set on a kid his age.

"I sure am, Lynner Lynner Chicken Dinner!" she laughed, walking with him to the garage to grab a glove for herself. "Take it easy on me though, it really did hurt when you beamed me last time." she chided, knowing full well asking Lynn to take it easy was like asking Loki to stay off his phone.

"Actually catch the ball and you won't have to worry about it!" he shot back with a slight red tinge to his face. All things said and done, even if he didn't treat her as gently as the rest of his brothers, Lynn really did care for Linka and her well-being and had never really forgiven himself for hurting her. He was happy she even agreed to play with him again after that. The angry yellow and purple bruise on her left forearm had served as a reminder to tone it back a little with his only sister for a long time.

"I'm only teasing, you dork." Linka replied, smiling as she put on her glove and punched it a few times. She jogged a ways across the yard and started to stretch, her lithe form moving this way and that as she loosened herself up for what Lynn had prepared for her. "Alright Lynn hit me with your best shot!"

"Alright!" Lynn lined himself up with her, taking into consideration how far away she was, and began his wind up. He had perfected getting into his stance and could throw like a pro, and he went through the process now as he reeled back and threw a ball straight for Linka.

The ball gently buried itself into Linka's glove, a slow throw for anyone but especially considering it was Lynn that had thrown it. She blinked down at it in confusion and then back up at Lynn, gears slowly turning in her head as she fought to figure out what had happened between his hand and her glove to slow the ball down. Shaking her head and chalking it up to a fluke, she settled into her own form and sent the ball flying Lynn's way, causing it to smack against his glove with a satisfying _fwap!_

She sat back, readying herself for what she knew was coming. Lynn reeled back once more, left leg going up high as he stepped into the pitch, his hand coming down and releasing the ball... Which gently landed in her gloved hand once more, barely making a noise as it settled. Linka blinked again, her face showing more confusion than from the last throw. Lynn _might_ screw up one throw, but two? Two in a row, at that? Nuh uh. Never gonna happen. She looked from the ball to her brother a few more times before it clicked.

"Are you seriously taking it easy on me?!" She asked incredulously, her voice higher than she intended.

"Y-you told me to!" He nearly yelled, his face still that slight shade of red with embarrassment and...something else. Shame? Fear?

Whatever it was, Linka didn't like it. She didn't like it when any of her brothers acted out of character, because it meant that something was wrong. Her brain started to work at the issue, trying to think of what his problem could be. She glanced at her arm and couldn't look away, staring at the remnants of the bruise that she had once had, only a pale red memory decorating the spot that once sported a yellow and purple splotch.

 _He doesn't want to hurt me again,_ she realized. She smiled, touched by Lynn's concern for her well-being. _I don't want him to feel like he can't treat me the same as he always has. He's been treating me like a punching bag for years and I haven't complained once!_ She knew exactly how to solve that. She directed the smile from her arm to Lynn, the epitome of sweet younger sister.

Then she frowned, her eyebrows falling into a V as she glared at her older brother.

"W-what?! What did I do?" he yelped, knowing that look all too well. All of the Loud boys knew well enough what that look meant. That look meant trouble, with a capital T.

"Are you seriously treating me like a GIRL?!" Linka roared this last word as she beamed that ball at him, causing him to yelp again as he barely got his glove into position in time. The ball was nearly smoking in the center of his glove, his hand throbbing slightly from how hard it had been thrown.

"Y-you are a girl!" He shouted back, not knowing what he had done to make her angry.

"I am your sister! And I am also the person who has been playing, training, and encouraging you my whole life, whatever the sport!" She began to walk towards him, shoulders wide and dirt crunching underfoot. Her snowy hair, tied back into a ponytail in anticipation of this activity, caught the wind and whipped behind her as she came up even with her brother. "I will _not_ put up with being treated like I'm some fragile little girl who can't keep up with you! Your next throw," she emphasized her last three words by poking a manicured nail into his chest in time with each one. "Better. Be. Fast."

She stomped back over to the position she had previously been standing in and huffed, leaving Lynn to stare at the back of her head in confusion. _But I hurt her last time! If I keep treating her like I have been I'll just hurt her again and she'll start to hate_ me. His face fell at this last thought. He wouldn't be able to take it if Linka hated him, he'd fall apart at the seams.

"HEY!"

He started again, blinking up at his little sister. His sweet little sis with her pale skin and white hair, whose smile could light up the whole room without her noticing.

Who was now staring daggers at him, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face as she tapped her foot and crossed her arms.

 _She's going to kill me if I don't listen to her._ He thought in a panic and threw the ball harder than he previously had, but still holding back noticeably. Linka caught it with ease and glared at him for the third time in as many minutes, sending it flying back to him again. His hand was beginning to hurt a little bit.

He was starting to feel a little annoyed. All he was doing was showing concern for his only sister's health and well-being! Which was really tough for Lynn, because being concerned about things really wasn't his top priority. And all she was doing was yelling at him! He snatched the ball out of his glove and flung it towards his sister without thinking about the movements. He realized after letting it go that this throw was a lot faster and had much more force behind it then the previous two, and he shut his eyes and waited for Linka's cry of pain as it connected with her.

 _Fwap!_

He looked up after a few moments to see Linka standing with her arms crossed and tapping her foot again, the ball in her right hand as she waited for him to focus on her. She yawned loudly into her glove, stretching her arms towards the sky and making her shirt ride up slightly.

"Jeez, Lynn, are you sick or something? I thought I asked for some heat. Maybe you're just losing your touch." She got into her stance and threw the ball as hard as she could again, the ball connecting solidly with the center of Lynn's glove for the third time. Now his hand _really_ stung. He glared at his sister, his face starting to turn a deeper shade of red out of anger.

"Linka, stop! I don't want to hurt you again!" he called out to her, taking off his glove and rubbing his left hand. She was being a real jerk about this!

Linka blinked at him a couple times before bringing a finger to her chin and cocking her head in her best impression of Loni having one of his 'moments'. "Ohhhh, I get it now!"

He nodded his head, glad he could get it across that he was only showing concer-

"You're _chicken."_

"Excuse me?!" He stared at his sister, dumbstruck. His face turned an even deeper shade of red. She was really working his last nerve.

"It's okay Lynn I get it now, I didn't realize that you were scared of your little sister. We can stop if you want, I'll just grab one of your baseball trophies and move it to my portion of the trophy case." Linka smiled sweetly with this last sentence, scuffing the dirt with one of her shoes and inclining her head towards him, the picture of innocence. She could see him fuming, steam practically shooting out of his ears with how mad she was making him. _Almost,_ she thought, _now I just have to..._

She giggled.

Lynn couldn't take it anymore. He snapped and grabbed the ball from the dirt, his resolve completely shattered as he wound up his pitch and brought his leg high into the air. Stepping into the pitch, he brought his arm down, cutting through the air as he released, nearly overbalancing with the follow through. The baseball careened through the air, whistling its way towards Linka with murderous intent. He heard a loud _smack!_ and Linka cried out before falling to the ground.

His heart fell into his stomach and he ran to his sister, calling her name urgently as he reached down to her. Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered the last time he had hurt her, knowing for sure it'd be worse this time. Linka was on the ground, facing away from him and shaking with what he knew were sobs of pain. He reached out to her and turned her towards him, expecting the worst.

What he did not expect was the laughter dancing in his sister's eyes as she rolled over with his tugging and brought him down with her, giggling uncontrollably as he yelled and hollered at her to let him go. The baseball fell from her gloved hand during their tussle, Lynn eventually getting the upper hand and pinning both of her wrists to the ground.

Linka laughed again, a noise that reminded him of birdsong or something equally beautiful out of nature. She had a huge grin on her face as she looked up at her older brother, glad to have the same old Lynn she knew and loved.

"That was such a dirty little trick! You scared the crap out of me!" Lynn shouted at her, still fuming from her taunting.

"It was the only way to get you to stop treating me like a wuss!" she shot back, wiggling to try and get her arms free of his iron grip. "If you really want to be such a butt about it, consider it payback for the bruise."

Lynn glared at her for another second before letting go of her wrists and sitting down cross-legged with his back to her, upset and hurt that she had tricked him and brought up the bruise again. Linka sat up and hugged him from behind, a small pout on her face.

"Lynnnn, don't be like that. I'm sorryyy." She whined pitifully, her eyes getting wider as she rubbed her cheek into his shoulder.

He huffed quietly and glanced sideways at her, losing some of the red color in his face as he began to calm down. Locking eyes with him, Linka pouted again and gave him puppy-dog eyes sweet enough to make his tooth ache.

" _Pweeeaase forgive me Lynn, I didn't mean it~."_ She said in her sweetest voice, every syllable dripping with honey as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

He huffed one more time, defeated. She had gotten him good and he had deserved it. "...I forgive you Linkie." he said, wrapping one of his arms around her in hug.

Any trace of tears vanished in an instant as she beamed at him, her face alight with happiness. It had worked! She hugged him back so hard he wheezed slightly and then bounced back up onto her feet, scooping the baseball back up with her ungloved hand. "Alright! Let's get this show on the road, then!"

He blinked at her for a moment before smiling and climbing to his feet, feeling better than he had in weeks. He hadn't realized just how guilty he had felt over hurting his sister, and he was glad she didn't see him any differently for it. "You're on, Link! First one to miss the throw loses?"

"Of course, as usual. Oh, and Lynn?"

"Yeah, Linka?"

"Don't you dare hold back." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

He smiled at her as he wound up his pitch, finding his groove instantly. "Wouldn't dream of it, sis."

…

Panting, dirty, sweaty, and exhausted, Lynn and Linka wandered into the kitchen and each got themselves a glass of ice water before sitting next to each other at the long table. They had played catch for nearly an hour before Linka had accidentally hurled the ball over the fence into Mr. Grouse's yard, may it forever rest in piece.

"Lynn?"

"Yeah?"

Linka surprised him by throwing her arms around him in another hug. She squeezed fiercely as her heart filled with love for her brother. "I love you, and nothing will ever change that."

He returned the hug with equal intensity, happiness filling his chest. "Ditto, Link. I love you, too"

 **AN: And so concludes chapter 2! I hoped you guys enjoyed it, and as I have stated I am happily accepting any constructive criticism you may have! I enjoy writing fluffy moments and I adore the relationship that I think Linka would have with her brothers, particularly Lynn Jr. and Luke, as Lynn and Luna are my favorite sisters and I have a similar favoritism towards their male counterparts. Next chapter will focus on either Lars or Luke and will follow a similarly fluffy pattern as the last two chapters. I will work diligently to deliver chapter 3 by next Friday, and I am going to try and keep that schedule of updating up until and after my 3 month hiatus. Feel free to PM me with any suggestions or leave a review, and any favorites or follows are extremely welcome! Until next time, ladies and gents!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys, ThirdCoffin here! I know I said this chapter would get posted next Friday but I just couldn't wait. Chapter 4 is now slated for that Friday spot though! It seems an overwhelmingly large amount of people do not want loudcest to be prominent in this story arc and to be completely honest, I'm beginning to feel the same way as this story develops. I love writing this mush, and it would kill me to throw into imbalance what I'm creating here by introducing romantic or sexual feelings (at least within the family). I am also finding as I approach writing it that I am much more comfortable READING it rather than WRITING it. And that's ok, because to each their own. I will attempt, but I make no promises to deliver on any loudcest or lemons.**

 **I don't really have a lot to say here, keep an eye out at the bottom for more author's notes, but otherwise just please enjoy the story, and as always feel free to share any constructive criticism or reviews!**

Shortly after her game of catch with Lynn, as far as the word "game" can be used to describe any activity with Lynn, Linka stood in front of the bathroom mirror, water dripping from her still wet hair as she stared at her reflection. She traced her button nose with her gaze from tip to base, following the gentle slope of her brow over to her small ears. _I've always meant to get them pierced,_ she thought to herself before following the bend at the top of her ear and down the delicate curvature of her jaw until she reached her chin. Her eyes traveled upwards, finding her pink lips gently pursed in self-reflection. She parted them, running her tongue over her chipped front teeth and biting her bottom lip as her eyes began their ascent once again, tracing a path across her prominent cheekbones and narrow forehead. Linka stared at her pure white hair, the hair that she loved and hated in equal parts, and followed the path it made over her shoulder and to her small bosom. She ran a hand from her collarbone to her right hip, gliding it over the smooth expanse of unnaturally pale, unblemished skin. Her eyes once more began to climb until she met her own gaze, her emerald-green eyes sparkling in the harsh light created by the LED bulbs Leif had installed above the mirror.

She sighed deeply, wishing with all her heart that the rest of her could be like her eyes. Linka had struggled for a large portion of her life with the fact that she had albinism, her eyesight in particular suffering greatly due to the condition affecting the pigmentation in her eyes. She couldn't see very well in brightly lit areas in particular and had tended to burn very easily when spending time outside. For years she would pine longingly to go out and spend her whole day out in the sunlight, wishing she could feel its warm kiss rather than its burning touch. Her hands traveled upwards and framed her cheeks, fingertips resting against her temples as she turned her head this way and that.

Shortly after he had turned 4 years old, Levi had approached Linka with a proposition. He would alter her genetic makeup ever-so-slightly, hopefully reversing her albinism, and the news filled her with so much unfettered, unadulterated joy that she agreed in a heartbeat, and so Levi had sedated her to perform a miracle.

Unfortunately, all Levi could accomplish was a partial reversal of her condition. Her eyes, instead of having a red tinge to them and being extremely photosensitive, turned a beautiful green hue reminiscent of precious gemstones and her skin, while still not being able to tan, stopped reacting so harshly to direct sunlight. She had even sprouted a few freckles on her cheeks! This was a miracle unto itself, and one that she thanked the heavens (and Levi) for every single day.

But she was still so pale, still so washed out. Her eyes were the only vibrant color she would ever have, and she felt like her body was betraying her, robbing her of what other girls had. Other girls had beautiful, radiant golden hair or mysterious dark ringlets that danced and shone in the light. All she had were her colorless tresses that only seemed to mute any sort of light that touched it. She sighed heavily once more before shaking her head wildly, spraying water droplets all over the bathroom.

She looked back at her reflection and smiled as brightly as she could. After all, it could be much worse. At least this way she was able to spend time with her family like she had always wanted, being treated like a normal child instead of a fragile ornament that needed to be handled with care. That was another reason Linka disliked the way she looked. She looked so delicate, so fragile, as if she were made of fine china.

Wrapping herself in a towel and scooping her soiled clothes off the bathroom floor, Linka stepped out into the hallway and quickly made her way to her room. She had just finished putting on a fresh set of clothes when she heard a soft knocking on the door.

" _Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door._ " Linka recited dramatically as she opened her door to allow Lars, wearing his usual black jeans and black T-shirt, into her closet of a room. He looked at her with his head tilted , his eyes hidden by his long bangs. After a moment, he walked over to her bed, his checker-pattern shoes gently scuffing the carpet, and spoke.

"Edgar Allan Poe is wicked." he intoned.

"You would know, you're the one who introduced me to his poetry." She smiled at her little brother, closing the door behind him and plopping herself down onto her bed. "Whatcha got for me, Lars? I'm all ears." she patted the spot on the bed next to her.

He sat down and looked at the black, leatherbound notebook that he had carried in with him. Opening to a seemingly random page, he cleared his throat quietly and began to speak.

" _I hear whispers in the darkness tugging at my very soul, leading me to a lake of midnight from which I cannot help but drink."_

" _Wails of the damned and doomed surround me, unveiling truths in the lies around me. I stand in the harsh light of understanding. I cannot help but avert my gaze."_

Linka closed her eyes and focused on Lars' words, his voice pleasant and even-toned as he bared his soul to the room.

…

Some time later, Linka opened her eyes after Lars finished reciting his mix of poetry and storytelling, concerned as she always was with the dark content of his work but more than used to it by now. She started when Lars closed his notebook with a _snap!_

"That was really good, Lars. Interesting word choice, but it was really good." she beamed at him, determined to encourage his creative spark, no matter how morbid. She was proud of her brothers in their endeavors and passions. Except maybe Leif and his aversion to showering on a regular basis, but other than that she was completely supportive of all of her brothers. Lars turned his face to her as she smiled, his face the usual mask of apathy he wore.

"I didn't put too much gore or death in this one, did I?" He asked somberly.

"Not at all! I mean, I got a little queasy at the whole lake of blood filled with rotting flesh being torn asunder by crows thing," she could feel her stomach clench just thinking about it again and barreled through the rest of the sentence. "But it was really good, Lars. You've grown so much as a poet over the years."

"Do you really think so?" Lars' voice was filled with doubt, something Linka wasn't used to seeing from the boy. She reached her hand out to him and grabbed one of his own, her other hand cupping his chin and turning his head towards her. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes and looked into the vibrant blue orbs that were swimming with uncertainty.

"I know so. I doubt there's a kid your age out there that could hold a candle to what you have in that book. When I was your age I could barely write a paper for school, let alone in my free time!" She smiled at him sheepishly, letting her hands fall back into her lap. "In fact, mom and dad threatened to send me to a writing camp last summer if I didn't get my grade up in the class."

"Why didn't you ask someone for help?"

"Lars, when you started sharing your stories with me that was all the help I needed. If I got stuck on something I just asked myself how you would write it and did that to the best of my ability." She paused for a moment. "I did tone down the death and despair a lot though."

"Naturally." Came the reply, the corners of his mouth starting to turn upwards.

"Is that a smile I see? From the Prince of Darkness himself? Oh no no no that won't do!" Linka hopped onto her hands and knees, creeping closer to Lars on the tiny bed. She pounced on him and began to tickle his sides relentlessly, grinning ear to ear as the 11-year-old's shrieks of laughter filled the room.

"S-stop stop! I have a rep- _ahaha!_ I have a reputation!" Lars choked out between pockets of laughter. Linka ceased her onslaught and scooped the notebook off the floor where it had landed during the brief, one-sided tickle fight. She handed it to him and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to look at his eyes again and settling for approximating where they were under his bangs.

"You are the most talented writer I have ever met, Lars. Not just stories, but the poems that you write that you've shared with me have been amazing! The one you wrote about the princess who had to find the sword of light to defend her kingdom against the ruler of darkness is just about my favorite story in the world." In the end, the princess had lost the battle and succumbed to power of the dark lord, but that wasn't important right now.

Lars blinked at the insistence in Linka's voice. He looked at her lightly flushed face, her eyes twinkling as she began to list all of her favorite poems and stories that he had shared with her. He knew without a doubt she meant every word she said. Linka stopped suddenly when something unthinkable happened.

Lars began to laugh.

It had been years since any of the loud children had heard a genuine peal of laughter from the boy, the only person who had being Linka when she decided to tickle the heck out of him.

It began almost as a cough, springing up from nowhere as he soon lost control and gave himself over to it, his shoulders shaking harder when Linka asked if he was alright. After a long moment he was quiet again, a small smile on his face as Linka's brain tried to process what had just happened.

"Did you... Did you just... Without me tickling you?"

He nodded and hugged his sister, squeezing her tight as her arms reflexively wrapped themselves around him. Any doubts he had about his writing were gone. He had started to wonder if maybe he was _too_ dark and creepy. If maybe he should give up on the poetry and move on to something more normal for a kid his age like sports or picking his nose in public. Now, though, he wanted to do nothing more than write poems and stories that made people's eyes light up the way Linka's eyes sparkled when she praised him.

"Thank you, Linka. You don't know how much I needed that." He stood up and walked to the door, turning the knob and opening it slightly. He turned back to his sister and allowed one more smile to break through his facade. "You know, you've changed a lot too over these last couple years. It's nice to see you coming out of the shell you made for yourself back when you thought you were different."

Linka just stared after him as he closed the door behind himself, her mouth slightly agape. _He's too perceptive for his own good,_ she thought to herself, smiling brightly at the moment she just had with her little brother. She caught sight of her reflection from her mirror and the smile faltered a bit, her hand coming up to touch her cheekbone. _As much as I wish it weren't the case, I am different, though._

But then again, Lars was different. Her whole family was different. It might take her a bit, but Linka was pretty sure she could come to terms with being different. Eventually.

 **AN: I know this is a fairly short chapter. I loved writing it though. Lars is an interesting character to wrap my head around, because I don't want him (or any of these characters for that matter) to be a carbon copy of their opposite gendered counterparts. I tried to orient him towards stories as well as poetry, because younger boys tend to view poetry as a "girly" outlet. Next chapter is going to focus on Luke, and by now you guys might be noticing a pattern. This is very quickly turning into "A heartwarming moment with each of Linka's brothers", which is something I'm completely fine with. As far as the seemingly random sprinkling of moments of just Linka, I do have an endgame for that as well. If anyone has any suggestions, as always feel free to shoot me a PM or write me a review. I do have one more thing to address, when it comes to my inspiration for this fic.**

 **I've listed two... Let's say 'controversial' authors, in my list of people who inspired me. I don't judge based on content but I do judge based on quality. I can understand wholeheartedly why these two are controversial but I cannot deny their skill when it comes to penmanship. For all of the flack they get, they do have their times where they write a genuinely heartfelt moment or story and those are the types of stories I gravitate towards. I am neither defending nor agreeing with either author, but at the same time I will not condemn them for what they choose to use their gifts for. I love writing because it is such a free medium that, with enough time and effort, anyone can create something beautiful or, in other cases, something that makes you stop and think. I love this fanbase so much, as it has really made me feel like there's still passion in people's hearts about what they're creating and consuming, and that fills me with hope.**

 **I can only hope that the story I'm creating here is worthy of your praise, of your time, and gives each and every person who reads this inspiration to pursue their passions. Thank you so much for the kind words and pms, and I promise to continue this story until it is complete, no matter how long that takes.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I've been doing my best to pace myself over this last week. I want to put out a fic that is worthy of your time. I'm going to do my best to at least match the word count in this chapter, or exceed it, from this point on. I've also decided that instead of doing a weekly update schedule, I'm just going to update this as I complete each chapter, allowing a day for revision. I'll probably keep this up until I leave for my hiatus and decide what to do after that in terms up frequency. As always, please share your thoughts and suggestions with me, as I love to hear what you guys have to say!**

 **Alex: Loni is still going to be a fashionista, though I'm trying to figure out still how to tweak that to make him unique in this fic. I think I've got it, but I'd love to hear any suggestions you have as well!**

 **Spencer: Loudcest is completely off the table, Lemons/limes are not. They may not be prominent or feature at all in this fic (it depends on how much progress I make), but stay tuned because I'll definitely be putting some lemons out in the future. One-offs are always a strong possibility, just probably not while this fic remains incomplete.**

 **More notes at the bottom, please enjoy the latest chapter!**

The rest of the week went by without a hitch, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring or disrupting the family's status quo. It was decided at some point that while mom and dad were working Saturday, Loki would bring everyone to the mall in the morning to hang out and browse the stores for an hour or two while he grabbed lunch with his girlfriend Bebe, who had moved one state over to be with family. All of the Loud children were excited, no one moreso than Linka, who finally had an opportunity to replace her outdated, seemingly shrinking wardrobe. The only exception was Luke, who said he wanted to take advantage of the peace and quiet to work on his new song.

 _Maybe I can get Loni to help me pick out new clothes,_ Linka thought to herself as she sat down in front of the television that night to catch the newest episode of ARRGH! In this episode, Hunter Spector, an amazon of a woman obsessed with the supernatural, tracked down and captured a ghost that was haunting a cemetery in Ireland. At the end of the episode, however, it was revealed that the ghost was really just a local farmer taking a shortcut home every night so his wife wouldn't know he'd been out drinking. The episode concluded with the announcer trying to narrate over the sound of the couple squabbling, to no avail. Linka decided it was still a good episode for the comedy of it, even if they hadn't actually caught a ghost. She couldn't recall ARRGH! ever actually catching a real ghost, come to think of it.

She turned the TV off and stretched, wandering into the kitchen as her tummy grumbled at her. _Jeez, what gives lately,_ she thought to herself as she cracked open the fridge and looked for a snack. _I can't go more than a few hours after eating before I'm hungry again._

She found a small container of chicken parm and popped it into the microwave, sliding around the kitchen floor in her socks and pretending she was an ice skater while she waited for her food to heat up. She was pirouetting exaggeratedly when the microwave let out a small _ding!_ and hummed a happy note as she transferred the chicken parm to a plate and began to dig in. A few minutes later, belly full and eyelids heavy, she worked her way back into the living room, depositing her dirty dishes into the sink on her way out of the kitchen.

She plopped herself down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes slowly closing as she succumbed to the minor food coma she had brought upon herself.

…

A few hours later, Linka awoke with a start, sitting up and blinking repeatedly. A blanket that one of her brothers must have thrown over her fell from where it had sat tucked under her chin, bunching in her lap, and she shivered in the sudden chill. She groaned and stood, making her way over to the bottom of the stairs.

As her trek up the stairs began, her tummy began to feel weird and rumbly. By the time she reached the top, it was practically screaming at her in a myriad of different groans and grumbles. She clutched at her stomach as a wave of pain shot through her, and she sprinted to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. The sound of her retching brought Lane to the door, where he knocked softly and called her name.

"Linka? You feelin' alright? Are you puking or did you just hold it for too long? Usually Luke is the one who's _down with the sickness_. Get it? Not to _hurl_ too many questions your way, heh heh." He jumped a little when the bathroom door opened to reveal a worn out looking Linka.

"Hoo boy, you're not lookin' too hot, sis." his eyes wandered down to her skirt. "When did you start wearing _ralph_ Lauren? Heh, get it?"

Linka, exhausted from the strain her body had just put her through, looked down at the splotch of vomit that covered a portion of her skirt. She sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears at yet another reason for her to get a new wardrobe. She looked at Lane and her lip began to quiver pathetically while he panicked at what to do with his suddenly crying little sister.

"L-Linka it'll be okay, it's okay!" He tried to sound as reassuring as he possibly could while tears began tracing their way down Linka's flushed cheeks. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her as the young girl latched onto him for comfort. "C'mon, let's get you to your room."

He guided the sniffling Linka over to her room, setting her down on the bed and telling her to wait just one moment. He left hurriedly and within half of a minute Loki was walking through the door with a look of concern on his face.

"Hey, little one, not feeling too good?" He always called her "little one" whenever she was upset or sick, it was something he had done when she was a child and something that, while embarrassing, comforted her immensely. She shook her head miserably and rubbed one of her eyes, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks as she gestured to her ruined skirt.

Loki sat down next to her and began to rub her back while humming softly to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine." She wrapped her arms around him and groaned into his shoulder, her tummy once again knotting painfully. She suddenly went stiff, and Loki, gauging the moment correctly, slid her small trash can in front of her not a second to soon as she began to heave once more. He continued to rub her back in small circles as she voided her stomach for the second time.

After a minute or two of vomiting what felt like pure stomach acid mixed with chicken parm, Linka collapsed next to the now half-full container and whined pathetically. She ached everywhere and she tried desperately to keep herself from crying again, her older brother cooing and humming to her in an attempt to ease her discomfort any way he could.

Loki grabbed a tissue from the box on Linka's nightstand and wiped her mouth and chin, dropping the soiled material into the sloshing trash can. He scooped Linka into his arms and gently laid her on the bed, using his thumb to clear her face of tears. His eyes, blue like the depths of the ocean, radiated concern as she let out another mewl of discomfort and clutched at her tummy once more.

"Linka, I'm gonna take care of this trash can and clean it out. I need you to change into something more comfortable while I'm doing that, okay?" When all she did was lay there unresponsive, he clasped her hand and rubbed small circles into the back of it with his thumb, squeezing gently as he explained to her a second time what he wanted her to do. He smiled gently when she nodded her head and sat up, still sniffling.

"I'll be back in a flash, don't worry little one. I'll knock once I'm back." And with that, he was gone, taking her trash can with him. Linka took a few more moments to feel miserable for herself before standing up and struggling out of her clothes, letting them fall to the floor haphazardly. She changed into a pair of thick woolen socks that came up just past her knees and a large, loose-fitting T-shirt that had belonged to one of her brothers. She had just finished climbing into bed when she heard a soft knocking at her door.

"Come in," she called out, her voice cracking. She felt like a sack of crap that had been run over several times.

Loki opened the door, carrying her trash can, now smelling heavily of some sort of disinfectant, and a small can of ginger ale. He set the trash can on the floor next to her bed and the soda on her nightstand, sitting down on the bed and placing the back of his hand against her forehead. _He's really turned into a kind of caretaker for all of us lately,_ she thought to herself as he told her she wasn't running a fever.

"Did you eat anything funky or funny tasting tonight?" He asked, knowing that Linka had recently turned into a munch-monster. Puberty had taken a while to dig its claws into her, but now it seemed all she did was eat and grow.

"I had some chicken parm I found in the fridge, but that's all."

"Linka, we had that more than a week ago! It probably went bad."

"It smelled fine, though!" She complained. _Plus,_ she added silently, _I was reeeaally hungry._

"Until we figure out exactly what it is, I'm going to assume that this is a case of food poisoning." He ran his fingers through her bangs and smiled sadly at her. "Which means that you're staying home tomorrow, little one."

"But-"

"No buts. You're sick and need to rest, Linka. You won't get better by running around all day with us. Luke can keep an eye on you while we're out and I'll be sure to grab you something from the mall."

Linka hated it and really needed to get new clothes, but she couldn't argue with Loki's logic. She resigned herself to her fate and decided that she was going to try and feel better as quickly as possible.

She hated being sick.

She _really_ hated being sick. It felt like a physical reminder of how much her body had already betrayed her, and would continue to do so.

She nodded pitifully, laying back so that Loki could tuck her in just like he would when she was a child. She was surprised with how exhausted she felt. Her eyes closed of their own volition and soon she was out like a light, her eldest brother looking down on her sleeping form with eyes full of the puppy love that only an older brother could have for his younger sister. He kissed her gently on the forehead and left the room, closing the door carefully behind himself.

…

Linka's eyes slowly opened a tiny crack, her head pounding in time with her heartbeat as she prayed for death's sweet embrace. After a few moments, she decided to stop being dramatic and propped herself up on one elbow, rubbing her eyes and checking the clock on her nightstand.

 _Already 9:38? I don't usually sleep in this late._

She groaned softly as she sat up, her body still aching from the previous night. Linka wandered blearily into the hallway, slowly shuffling her way to the bathroom. She took care of her business and brushed her teeth to get the acrid taste out of her mouth, staring at her wan reflection and the dark bags under her eyes. Her unnaturally pale complexion was even more washed out than usual, and her hair was a tangled mess that went every which way. She splashed some water onto her face, instantly regretting her decision as the icy-cold water, while waking her up, reminded her of just how chilly the house could get. Shivering and wanting nothing more than to curl up under her blanket and sleep, Linka ventured back out into the hallway.

Luke's door opened as she walked by and he called out.

"Hey Sam do you mind if we-" he froze when he saw that it was Linka and not his friend in the hallway. "Hey, lil sis! How are you feeling?" he wrapped her up in a hug and squeezed gently, his voice filled with concern. "You're not lookin' like you're having a rad morning."

"I feel like garbage," she moaned, reveling in the warmth of the hug. She snuggled into her older brother's embrace, not being able to recall the last time he had held her like this. She missed him a lot, especially lately. _I'm only about 4 inches shorter than him now, I used to barely come up to his chin._

Then something tugged at her mind and she stepped back from the embrace with a puzzled look on her face. "Did you just say _Sam_?!"

Luke turned bright red and mumbled something under his breath about her hearing things. He was a terrible liar.

"As in your girlfriend of 3 years that none of us have met before, the one you keep hiding from us for some unintelligible reason? The one who we've all been trying to meet and you keep coming up with shitty excuses for us not to see her?"

"Yes! Yes, okay, I get it, I'm a jerk. I'm weird, I know." Luke's face was practically glowing at this point, embarrassment evident in every tiny movement from the third eldest Loud child. Linka looked at him for a moment before clearing her throat loudly. "What?"

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" She asked incredulously.

Luke turned white as a sheet and shook his head hurriedly, his expression quickly changing to one of terror. "N-no! That is _not_ a rockin' idea Linka!" He winced at the hurt look she gave him. "Linka I'm sorry it's just that, that, Sam's very shy! Yeah! Sam gets really nervous around new people!"

"This is the first I've heard about it." A voice suddenly proclaimed from the top of the stairs, startling the two siblings. Linka turned to see a young man wearing a pair of maroon-colored torn jeans and an AC/DC T-shirt standing at the top of the staircase, holding two plastic cups in his hands. The youth had a runner's build and he was several inches shorter than Luke, close to Linka's height. He shook his blonde head as he walked towards them, a streak of blue hair catching the light as he continued the sentence. "I guess I should give up on music then, considering how many strangers I'll have to meet while playing in a band."

Luke had frozen where he stood, staring at the other young man in the hallway with a look bordering on hysteria. His eyes darted from the ever-approaching stranger to his little sister, then back. Sweat had begun beading on his forehead. He started when the blonde nudged him with his shoulder, handing him one of the plastic cups.

The stranger then smiled brightly in response to Linka's confused look, making his way into Luke's room and plopping himself on the bed. Luke quickly ushered Linka into the room, closing the door and placing his cup on the dresser. His face was once again a bright red. He seemed to be struggling with something, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. His mouth opened one last time and he seemed to be about to say something before forcing out an unintelligible noise.

"He's cute when he does that, isn't he?" The boy sitting on the bed asked, taking a sip out of his cup and looking at Linka's brother dreamily. "You're Linka, right? I mean," he gestured to her snowy hair. "I figured, but still."

"Huh? Yeah, sorry." Linka shook her head, not sure what to make of the situation. "I'm afraid I don't know your name, though." She blushed, suddenly realizing that she was still wearing her frumpy pajamas, had no makeup on, and probably looked like death. All while standing in front of her brother's cute friend.

"That's right! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Sam." He beamed at her again, eyes twinkling with good naturedness.

Linka's mind went blank. Her jaw dropped. She repeatedly turned from Sam to her brother, mouth opening and closing. Her brain desperately worked to try and articulate several different phrases at once, ultimately ending up with her making a strangled "Ah."

"I guess it's a family thing, huh?" Sam asked Luke, who shrugged and continued to blush fire-engine red. He walked over and grabbed Sam's hand, both of them turning to look at Linka.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Linka's shriek rang through the house, causing both Sam and Luke to jump with fright as she hopped up and down rapidly. She stumbled, her tired legs collapsing underneath her from the sudden explosive movement. Luke immediately went to her side, his embarrassment completely forgotten as he rushed to take care of his sister.

"Whoa, sis! Take it easy, you're still sick." Luke reprimanded her as she continued to grin like an idiot.

"It all makes sense now! I thought you were embarrassed by us or something!" Linka exclaimed as her brother helped her to the bed, setting her down next to Sam. "Were you seriously hiding him from us just because he's a boy?"

"W-what?" Luke spluttered.

Linka fixed him with a glare before turning to Sam and giving him the brightest smile she could muster at the moment. "I'm sorry that my brother can be a bonehead, I'm convinced that listening to music as loud as he does kills brain cells."

Sam snorted and hid his smile behind a hand, shoulders shaking with the effort to contain his laughter. He set his cup down on Luke's nightstand before he could spill anything and buried his face in a pillow.

"You... You're not upset?" Luke asked his little sister, taking a short step back when she gave him The Look.

"I _am_ upset." She told him, arms crossing her chest. "I am very upset that you hid your boyfriend from your family for years." Her eyes lost their hard edge and she held out her hand, which he gladly took. "But I support you, Luke. We _all_ will, no matter what. I don't care who you date as long as they make you happy."

Sam surfaced for air, his giggle fit subsiding, and tuned in to the conversation between the two siblings. He grinned warmly when he realized what was going on.

"There's no reason to hide this from us, you jerk." Linka chided once more, squeezing Luke's hand tightly.

"Told you." Sam muttered under his breath, earning him a look from his boyfriend before Luke turned back to Linka.

"I'm sorry, lil sis. I was just worried that you guys would judge me, or hate me, or... I don't know, think I'm gross or weird." Luke rubbed the back of his neck as Linka gaped at him. "Though I'm starting to realize just how stupid that was."

"Luke, we would _never_ think of you differently for this." Linka pulled her brother into a hug, latching on to him fiercely. "No matter what, we're family. I know for a fact that I'm speaking for all of us."

Luke hugged his sister back with the same amount of pressure, relieved to hear the words that he worried might never be said to him. He was close with all of his siblings, but he was closest by far with Linka, and her approval lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. He was shocked when he felt a small sob tear through her, her shoulders shaking as she buried her face into his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair like he had when she was a child and made soothing noises. "Shhhh, lil rocker. What's wrong?"

"I-I-I was s-so worried that I was l-losing you," Linka cried into his chest. "It f-felt like there was this huge gap between us that kept g-growing and growing." She hugged him so hard his ribs ached as she continued to hiccup and sob.

Luke's expression softened and he squeezed his sister as tight as he dared, tears brimming in his own eyes as he continued to comfort the young woman. "No, no, no, lil rocker. You're my number 1 fan! Nothing could ever get between the two of us. I'm sorry I've been distant lately and I never meant to hurt you by hiding this." He pulled away and used his thumbs to clear Linka's tears much like Loki had the night before. "Nothing will ever change the fact that you are my favorite, most rockinest sister in the whole world."

Linka sniffled and pawed at her eyes, trying to clear them. "I'm your only sister."

"Still my favorite. Pinkie promise." He stuck out his hand, pinkie extended. Linka looked at it for a brief moment before extending her own and locking pinkies with him, her fit of tears fading in her elation at having her older brother back. She had known he was hiding something big from their family, and it had hurt her immensely to think that he didn't trust even her with the problem.

"This is so rad." Sam gushed over the two siblings. "I think this might be the sweetest thing that I've ever seen in my entire life. I've been telling him to tell you about us for literally forever." He stood up and began to walk towards the door, his hand reaching for the knob.

"Where are you going?" Linka asked, worried that he was leaving so soon after meeting her.

"Don't worry, little dudette, I'm just gonna fix us up some grub while you guys talk. I have a feeling that you guys are gonna wanna be by yourselves for a sec. Maybe I'll find something for the toothache you two are giving me." He winked at Linka before closing the door behind him, and the two siblings could hear him singing a tune to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. They both stared at the door for a moment before looking at each other, making eye contact. They both smiled and began to laugh, holding on to each other for support as mirth took hold of them.

"He seems nice, Luke, he really does." Linka turned to her brother, feeling closer to him than she had in years. Luke grabbed his sister's hand again and squeezed.

"He is, Link. He really makes me happy." Luke's smile had gone soft and mushy, thinking about the boy he adored. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce you both sooner."

"I get it. I just wish that you had confided in me or something, I don't know." She smiled sheepishly, guilty that she was still a little mad at him for the deception. "If anyone understands about being different it's our family, ya know?" _Especially me,_ she added silently.

Luke nodded, smiling right back as his chest filled with a warm glow. In the grand scheme of things, him having a boyfriend wasn't all too weird compared to a family that had a 7-year-old with 2 PhDs and taught at a university, a 9-year-old who could fix anything from drywall to diesel engines, one daughter out of 11 children who was also an albino, and a 16-year-old sports prodigy who was being approached by no less than 7 professional sports teams from 3 different leagues for when he graduated high school. Heck, even Luke's almost supernatural ability to pick up an instrument in only a few days was weirder than his sexuality.

"I should have told you a lot sooner, I'm beginning to realize that now." He stood and tugged at Linka's hand, gently pulling her to her feet. "C'mon, let's get you some food. Sam's cooking is totally rockin'." Linka's stomach growled loudly as he finished his sentence, triggering another laughing fit as the siblings wandered into the hallway and down the stairs.

Linka's stomach positively roared at her as she walked into the kitchen side-by-side with her sibling, the smell of bacon and eggs wafting over to her and making her realize just how hungry she was. She took her usual seat at the long table, Luke taking his almost directly across from her, and grabbed one of the glasses of orange juice that Sam had set out for the 3 of them, taking a small sip as Sam finished up at the stove.

He turned, balancing 3 plates at once like a waiter and sliding two in front of Linka and Luke, taking the last plate and plopping down across from Linka. Linka looked down at the omelette nd bacon in front of her and decided she had never seen a more beautiful sight in her entire life. She ravenously tore into the food, stopping only to breathe and take an occasional sip of OJ. Sam looked at her in amazement, wondering how a girl that looked so small and fragile could inhale food at such a pace.

"Where does it all _go_?" He asked no one in particular, causing Luke to snort in amusement as Linka's face suddenly colored at the comment. He waved away her stammered apology for eating so impolitely and smiled encouragingly at her. "No, no, it's fine. That was rude of me to say, sorry. I really do take it as a compliment when people enjoy my cooking, even though it's nothing special."

"Babe, your cooking is always amazing!" Luke interjected, and this time it was Sam's turn to blush as Linka murmured an agreement around another mouthful of food, finishing off the last few morsels with gusto. "Seriously, if you weren't so talented when it came to singing I would tell you to open a restaurant or something." Sam shrugged noncommittally, clearly flattered by the compliments.

"I'd eat there every day." Linka sighed happily before letting out a huge belch and covering her mouth with her hands, her face's color suddenly matching Sam's as Luke let out a roar of laughter.

"10 points out of 10, lil rockstar!" He threw up the devil horns at her mortified expression. "You'd give Leif and Lynn a run for their money with that one!"

"I'll just take that as another compliment for my cooking, Linka." Winked Sam as he collected her plate.

"I wish I could make something half as good," Linka sighed, rubbing her full belly and feeling like herself for the first time since last night. "Everything I try to make either gets burnt to a crisp or is so undercooked that it walks off your plate." Luke nodded sadly in agreement, so she stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.

"It's nothing special, really." Sam laughed as he sat back down. "I'd be happy to teach you how to make a few things if you're up for it." His smile grew wider as Linka excitedly nodded her head, her pure white hair bouncing this way and that. He could see exactly why she was Luke's closest sibling, with her fierce love for her family and child-like enthusiasm. Those were some of the same reasons he had fallen for the third eldest Loud child, after all. "It's a plan, then! We'll get together soon and I'll show both of you how to whip up some grub."

"Maybe you can teach Loni how to make something, too," Linka suggested, shuddering at the memory of the last time Loni tried to cook. "His pancakes are like something out of Lars' stories. All you have to do is add water!"

Luke nodded in agreement once more while Sam snorted, shaking his head. "It can't be _that_ bad."

Silence.

"Really? It's that bad?"

Both siblings frantically nodded their heads. Sam put his head in his hands and contemplated exactly what he was getting himself into. He looked up at the young girl sitting across from him. "There's no way I'm getting out of this, is there?" Linka only smiled and shook her head. She giggled at the small sigh that came from the young man.

"One of the hazards of dating a guy who has 10 siblings," she told him, reaching across the table and patting his hand reassuringly. "You're going to get volunteered for a lot of crap."

Linka stood up and stretched, walking towards the staircase. "I'm going to go shower so I can feel like a human being again. When I get done, do you guys wanna hang out some more?" She turned to her brother and his boyfriend, beaming when both of them nodded an affirmative. "Yay!" And with that, she dashed up the stairs.

Both of the boys looked at the spot where she had been for a few moments before Sam spoke up. "I'm meeting your whole family today, huh?"

"Looks like we don't have a choice."

"Are they all like her?"

"I love them all to death, they're my family. And I know they're gonna love you, but," he shook his head slowly. "I've never met anyone quite like my little sister. She's one of a kind. It worries me sometimes how willing she is to go out of her own way to help others."

"I mean, don't all siblings go out of their way to help each other? I'm sure that your brothers aren't _that_ bad." Luke just looked at him blankly. "... Shit."

And with that, both of them began to laugh again, Sam cutting it off by suddenly giving his boyfriend a deep kiss. They sat there like that for a long moment before they parted, foreheads touching and eyes closed.

"I wouldn't give this up for anything." Sam sighed dreamily. "Not for the whole world. I'm ready to meet them."

"You say that now," Luke countered, standing up and scooping Sam into his arms with a surprised yelp. The smaller boy struggled for a moment and then resigned himself to being carried into the living room and deposited lovingly on the couch. "They're a lot to get used to, but I think they'll like you."

"You think?"

"Only one way to know for sure." Luke threw his arm over Sam's shoulder and they snuggled up against one another, Luke turning the TV to VH1. "Oh hell yeah, AC/DC documentary!" After half an hour, Linka skipped down the stairs, and settled onto the couch next to them, noticeably refreshed and feeling a lot better than when she first woke up. It was clear, however, that she wasn't completely over it when she started snoring softly into the arm of the couch a few minutes later. Sam got up and draped a blanket over her sleeping form before settling back into Luke's arms. He squeezed Luke's hand, and they waited for the rest of the Loud family to get home.

…

When they heard Vanzilla pull into the driveway, Luke and Sam gently shook Linka awake. She groggily blinked at them and wiped at the small tendril of drool connecting the corner of mouth to the arm of the couch. After rubbing her eyes vigorously, she gave the two boys a nod and smiled reassuringly. They did their best to match her enthusiasm, but as the moment drew closer they both began to have their doubts.

"Trust me." Linka said, her voice full of confidence.

They both steeled themselves and nodded, hands clasped for comfort and protection.

They heard the babble of their family as Loki turned the knob and threw open the door, his face buried in his cell phone as usual. He looked at the three teens sitting on the couch and walked over, glancing at Sam and looking questioningly at his sister. Linka just smiled and gestured for him to sit in the big puffy armchair as the rest of their siblings made their way into the house. As each one entered, they took note of their brother and sister flanking a stranger on the couch and made their way to the living room. Louds were known as being nosy for good reason.

Soon, all of the Loud children were gathered on or around the large chair, all of them staring intently at Sam. The young man, looking like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming semi, managed a small wave at the group. He nudged Luke in the ribs, unsure of what to do next.

Luke cleared his throat and addressed his family, unable to look any of them in the face as his face began to feel warm again. "Um. I'm not really sure how else to put this." He threw his arm around his boyfriend and pulled him close, both of them now resting on the same couch cushion. "This is Sam."

There was a long pause.

"Sam, as in...?" Loki let the question hang in the air.

"My boyfriend." Luke met his older brother's eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. The rest of their siblings looked from one to the other as if it were a game of tennis. Loki nodded almost imperceptibly and shifted his gaze to Sam, who suddenly felt eleven pairs of eyes train themselves on him. The eldest loud child held out his hand, leaning towards the couch, and Sam shook it, feeling very lightheaded all of a sudden.

"Name's Loki. If you break my brother's heart, I will literally turn you into a human pretzel." Loki smiled after the half-threat, and the tension that had begun to build vanished. All of the Loud children began to introduce themselves, oldest to youngest.

"Loni, and I totes love your jeans!" Loni had an eye for fashion, and he was looking forward to having another model for his work.

"I'm Lane. I don't know a lot of bi jokes." His family and Sam looked at him cautiously, unsure of where he was going with his sentence. "What? They could go _either way_! Heh! Get it?" Sam snorted into his hand and Lane grinned.

"Lynn. I'm the _only_ cool one." This earned him a smack from each of the twins. He shoved both of them over and scooped a football up from the ground, rolling his eyes. "Trust me, you'll come to realize that all of my siblings are dorks."

"Hi." Came a morose voice from behind the couch, causing Sam to jump into Luke's lap in fright. A small wave of laughter swept through the crowd of siblings as Lars moped his way to the front of the couch to join his brothers. "I'm Lars. I live in constant darkness and sorrow."

"My name is Leif! Your hair is cool!" The dirtier of the twins exclaimed, his big smile revealing gaps where his top two canines should have been. His much cleaner counterpart nudged him aside and gave Sam a similar smile, except he had all of his teeth. Leif's had grown back in their own time as well, but they had been long since knocked back out during one of his misadventures. Lexx adjusted his pink scarf and held aloft a small scepter as he addressed Sam.

"I am the unappreciated ruler of this house, Prince Lexx. One of these days, I may be gracious enough to invite you to one of my famous tea parties." With that, he walked away, presumably to do princely things. Leif chased after him, stealing Lexx's crown and sprinting away as fast as he could while his enraged twin chased after him.

"Salutations. I am Levi. I had deduced who you were the moment I stepped in the door, but I figured it would be prudent to allow the introduction to follow its natural course." Levi removed his glasses and cleaned them on his white labcoat. "I trust that Luke has provided you with sufficient data so that a lengthier conversation is not necessary."

The long introduction came to a close when Leon, wearing overalls similar to Leif's over a white shirt, walked over to Sam and climbed into his lap. The youngest Loud child didn't speak much, but he pointed at his own chest and said, "Leon." eliciting a chorus of _Awww_ s. Sam smiled brightly at the child sitting in his lap and then turned his smile to the rest of the Loud siblings.

"It's really nice to finally meet all of you guys, Luke's told me a ton about all of you."

"Yeah, well," Loki began. "We don't know _anything_ about you. Luke's kept you under wraps for so long I can hardly believe that we're actually meeting you."

"Are you an only child?" Lynn asked, tossing the football to himself.

"I have an older sister but she goes to school in New York City." Sam replied. "I don't see her too much nowadays."

"That must be _so_ nice." Linka threw a cushion at Lynn, catching him in the side of his head and making him stumble. The football came down and smacked him right between the eyes. Sam stifled a snort of laughter as Lynn clutched his forehead. "I'm joking!"

The Louds kept on like this for some time, peppering Sam with questions and bickering with one another. He looked at Luke interacting with his family, knowing that a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Looking around the room, he saw Linka doing the same thing, staring at her brother with twinkling eyes and smiling softly. Clearly, she also felt a lot happier.

The front door opened and Lynn Sr. walked in, shortly followed by Rita. They both blinked at the site of their many children and a plus-one all hanging out in the living room. Luke walked up to them with a nervous smile on his face.

"Mom, dad." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "There's someone that I want you to meet. Someone you should have met a long time ago." The twins ran over to Sam and each grabbed one of his hands, dragging him to his feet and over to Luke's side before shoving the two together.

Sam extended his hand to Lynn Sr., smiling at his boyfriend's parents. "I'm Sam. It's nice to finally meet you guys."

Lynn Sr. took this in stride, shaking Sam's hand and smiling warmly. "It's very nice to meet you after all this time, Sam." Rita nodded in agreement.

"What's one more boy when you already have 10?" She laughed and wrapped up both young men in a hug that made them wheeze. Everyone laughed as the boys staggered to the couch once the hug had ended, gasping for air and complaining about their ribs. Rita made her way to the kitchen to start dinner for the large family, and Lynn Sr. usurped Loki's place on the puffy armchair to watch the game on TV. Lynn Jr. immediately flung himself onto the couch and glued his eyes to the screen. Sam waved a hand in front of his face, which elicited no response.

"The only thing he loves more than playing sports is watching sports." Luke shrugged and stood. "How about we go see if we can help my mom in the kitchen?"

"Sure! If you guys have the ingredients, I can whip up something to go along with what she's making." Sam got up and followed Luke out of the room, looking forward to an opportunity to impress the family.

By this point, everyone other than Linka and the two Lynns had filtered out of the room. She walked to the bottom of the stairs and made to go up, planning on reading a few comics before dinner, but stopped when she heard her name being called. She turned to see Sam walking over to her. She was surprised when she was swept into a hug, which she returned gratefully.

"I wanted to thank you properly for what you've done for me and Luke." Sam's voice was a little watery as he spoke. "These last few years have been hard on him, with our relationship being a secret and him struggling to find himself at the same time. They've been hard on me too. My family isn't very supportive of who I am, and I'm so happy that you guys are all so amazing and I just..." A tear slid its way down his face and he wiped it away, smiling down at Linka as he held her at arms length.

"I get it." She said, pulling him into another hug. "You have a place here, now."

She did get it. She knew exactly what it was like to be judged for something she couldn't choose, to deal with the consequences of your birth. Squeezing Sam one last time, she shooed him towards the kitchen and made her way up to her room, flopping herself on the bed and looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. Sunlight filtered in between the partially opened shades and dust motes danced on the sunbeams, creating a dazzling pattern that she watched for a long while.

Linka stood and walked over to the mirror, observing her reflection. She thought of Luke and Sam, and how they were together. How they interacted, how they spoke, how they leaned against each other when they thought no one was looking. She let out another deep sigh and touched her cheek, trying to will some color into her face.

 _Will anyone look at me like that?_ She thought miserably, thinking about the only person she had dated, Ron Andy. He had looked at her like she was normal, like she didn't need to apply ungodly amounts of make-up to look like a normal person. She had simply stopped wearing any makeup other than the bare essentials around the time they had started dating, glad to be free of the hassle. But then he moved, and rather than try to tough out a long distance relationship they had decided that it would be better to stay friends and try to move on to other things. She couldn't help but notice the looks that she always got from strangers and friends alike.

She sighed for the third time, turning away from her reflection and throwing herself onto the bed. Her face buried in her pillow, she didn't hear her door open. Someone sat down on her bed and she yelped as she felt someone bury her under their weight as arms snaked their way around her in a hug. After a long moment, they let her go and Linka turned around to see Luke sitting on the edge of her bed. He smiled at her gently and patted the spot next to him, so she shifted over to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So what's got you down?"

"Huh?"

Luke rolled his eyes, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him. "Something is bothering you, lil rocker. I wanted to know what."

"It's nothing, just me being dramatic." Linka replied, unconsciously looking to the mirror.

Luke followed her gaze and it clicked, and his heart ached for his only sister.

"You know, Sam was telling me earlier about how pretty you are and how strange it is that you don't have a boyfriend." He knew he was on the right track when she shrugged noncommittally and shifted uncomfortably next to him. "And I had to agree with him. Someone as caring, understanding, and rockin' as you are," she continued to wiggle next to him uncomfortably as he complimented her. "should make any person happy."

"I guess I'm just not anybody's cup of tea." She said quietly.

"You know, Ron Andy was asking about you today."

Her heart skipped a beat as her brother mentioned the name, looking at him so fast her hair swished over her shoulder and into her face. She spluttered for a second, trying to spit her own hair out of her mouth. "He did?"

"Yeah, Loki told me he came to the mall with Bebe. I guess he was pretty bummed that you had to stay home." Luke absentmindedly tucked a stray strand of hair behind Linka's ear as he spoke. "Bebe offered to come back down next weekend too so you two could see each other again. And so she can suck Loki's face some more, naturally." He pretended to gag comically as he finished his sentence, Linka giggling at the silly display.

"I'd like that a lot." She said, her mind racing. _He wanted to see me? He doesn't seem all too interested when we're texting. In fact, he seems like he's not interested at all._ "Did Bebe mention what day she was planning on coming down?"

"I think she said Saturday, same time as today. You should get on the horn with the tough guy though and work out the details, you know how scatterbrained Bebe can be."

Linka nodded and Luke stood, walking over to the door and starting to leave the room. He poked his head back inside before the door had shut all the way, looking at his sister.

"Linka."

"Yeah?"

"Anyone would be lucky to have you. We all think so. You're too good for this world, Linkie, I just wanted you to know that." With that, her older brother shut the door and Linka could hear his footsteps growing fainter as he made his way back downstairs.

Linka picked up her phone and dialed Ron Andy's number, walking over to her mirror and placing her hand on the reflective surface and listened to the ringer. After a moment, someone picked up.

"Hey, lame-o. What's up?"

For the first time in a very long time, Linka looked at her reflection and genuinely smiled.

 **AN: Writing this chapter made me think a lot about the Loud family and how they interacted as a family. People naturally tend to drift apart as the years go by, and I wanted to tackle how this affected the Louds with them being as close as they are. Loki stayed home for a few years longer than he had to in order to care for his siblings and to keep in contact with his family, for example. I was originally going to have one of the Louds be angry or upset with Luke's relationship, but I came to realize that even with them not being as incredibly close as they once were, the Louds are the type of family to gather around and support one another.**

 **I was also playing around with the idea of Lynn Sr. and Rita having a bet that one of their children would end up gay/bi, but that didn't really seem to fit with either character. I feel like that one or both of them would disapprove of it, and it clashed with the "caring parents" motif that I want from them.**

 **The next chapter will feature another fan-favorite who is affectionately referred to as an airhead, and that's a good thing because Linka is quickly running out of clothes to wear. I'm doing my best to approach Linka's struggle with how she looks as best as I can, because I don't want to make her character seem like it's not genuine. Her albinism isn't who she is, and I'm trying to make it that way while still making her think that it's what defines her. If anyone has any tips for this, they would be greatly appreciated!**

 **I wanted to thank TotCall720 again for their constant support and insight, it helps so much more than you could possibly realize. I'm pushing myself as a writer because of the conversations we have and I appreciate that immensely. If you haven't, check out Future Love Run Amok and favorite/follow it because it's one of the most riveting stories I have ever read. It does contain loudcest and many many lemons but its premise and content are so unique that I've literally stared open-mouthed at my screen several times.**

 **It's about time for me to wrap this up, I'm sorry that all of my author's notes are massive haha. Until next time, peeps! Feel free to review, PM, favorite, follow, or none of the above! Tell someone you love them today!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey guys! More notes will be at the bottom. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I would love some insight on how I did because this is the one chapter I'm unsure about so far. I'm hopeful it holds up compared to the last couple, but I'm an insecure bastard when I write and I'd love to hear some feedback!**

 **This chapter does feature a few mentions of self harm later on, so if that's something that makes you uncomfortable or anything like that, you have been warned.**

 **Other than that, enjoy!**

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Linka groaned as her alarm went off, her hand shooting out and slapping the small black rectangle, turning it off. She forced herself to sit up and shivered as the blanket fell from her shoulders. Wrapping her arms around her, she took a peak at her alarm clock through slitted eyes.

The large red letters on the face said : WED 6:15 am.

"Whoever decided that people should have to wake up early for school is satan." She muttered to herself sleepily, kicking the blankets off the rest of her and starting her day. She showered, brushed, got dressed, and was just deciding on what color eye shadow she was going to wear that day when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." She had expected her eldest brother, but to her surprise it was not Loki, but Loni who stuck his head through the door. "Oh, morning Loni. What's up?"

Loni looked from her to the ceiling, a confused look on his face. "Up is that way, Linka." Linka shook her head and smiled, unsure if Loni truly was such a scatterbrain or just putting on the most elaborate act the world had ever seen.

"What I'm asking is if I can help you, silly." Loni brightened considerably when he realized he had simply misunderstood and his sister hadn't forgotten her directions, which would be very bad.

"Oh, yeah! Loki wanted me to make sure you were up, and I was going to see if you wanted to go to the mall on Friday to make up for you being sick this last weekend. It was totes lonely without my favorite shopping buddy!"

"I'd love to, Loni! Would you mind helping me pick out some clothes while we're there? I don't know what's happened but all of my clothes are either getting destroyed or shrinking."

"Sure, Linka. Let's buy you clothes that don't shrink this time. I didn't even know they sold those!" Before Linka could correct him, he had left. She shook her head and wondered how someone like Loni could exist in this world. He was so pure and innocent.

There was a loud thump in the hallway followed by a yelp from Loni.

He was such an airhead, too.

…

After school, Linka walked home with Lynn and Claire, Lars trailing close behind as they made their way through the neighborhood. Although they were still a tad unsure around one another, Lynn and Claire had formed a tentative friendship centered around the fact that they had one thing in common: Linka. After a few conversations and, more importantly, a few arguments, the pair realized that had more in common than either had thought. They both wholeheartedly agreed that Linka's favorite sandwich, peanut butter and sauerkraut, was an unholy abomination manufactured in the deepest depths of hell itself. Linka, personally, felt rather attacked that they would gang up on her in such a way, and went on the defensive.

It was then that Lynn and Claire realized that they had another thing in common: they both _loved_ to argue. They had forgotten their mutual sandwich disagreement with Linka and had both argued the entire way home, not realizing that almost an hour had passed until the streetlamps kicked on. Linka was unsurprised at this development with Claire, as she was head of the debate team for Royal Woods High, but Lynn seemed to enjoy the exchanges just as much as Claire did.

"I'm telling you, a sport is something that you work up a sweat doing it! Baseball, football, soccer, _those_ are sports. Watching a bunch of Korean kids play CounterForce or Call of Honor for hours at a time is not a sport!" Lynn said loudly as he tossed a baseball to himself. His argument with Claire was perpetuated by constant sighs from Lars, who was honestly entertained by the two teens but fat chance that he was going to let them know that.

"Well the definition of a sport is 'a source of diversion.' Video games certainly are a source of diversion, and perfectly fit the provided definition." Claire replied smugly. Her argument was flawed, since she was pulling a definition out of thin air, but she was confident that Lynn wouldn't know any better.

"Actually, the definition of a sport is an activity that is physically challenging that a person or a team plays while other people watch." Lynn shot back without looking away from the ball. Claire gaped at him. He glanced her way and smirked. "I've been obsessed with sports since I was like, 8. I know the definition of the word, dude."

"Uuuuuuggghhh," Linka let out an exasperated breath of air, turning to her brother and best friend. "could you guys go one day without arguing? I swear you're like an old married couple, go on a date already." Lynn and Claire both started to sputter and turn red, much to Linka's amusement. The rest of the walk was, mercifully, much quieter. The Loud children bid farewell to Claire when they reached her house before continuing on to theirs.

Linka playfully nudged Lynn as they walked through the front door, both of them setting their schoolbags down near the entryway. Lars set his down next to theirs before making his way into the kitchen.

"So, you gonna ask her out anytime soon? It's obvious you're both into each other." Lynn turned bright red once more and Linka knew she had hit the nail right on the head. Her brother had a crush on her best friend.

"It's not like that!" He cried indignantly and bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time and disappearing into his room. Lars sighed once more from behind Linka, making her jump with fright, clutching at her heart.

"Young love. How quickly it turns from sunshine and flowers to ash and dust." He rasped in his gravelly monotone. His voice had recently begun to deepen and he took that as a sign to speak in as low a tone as possible at all times.

"Glad to see you're still so optimistic, spooky." Linka ruffled his hair, using one of Lynn's nicknames for the goth. The name annoyed him when Lynn used it, but for some reason he was okay with Linka using it. When Linka called him spooky, he got the feeling she meant it as a compliment.

"Love is nothing more than a series of chemical reactions engineered by the human body in order to ensure reproduction." Levi interjected as he walked by. "The only thing that matters in life is knowledge." He stated matter-of-factly, walking up the stairs and entering his own room.

"That's pretty dark, even for me." Lars sighed.

"That's what happens when your IQ gets above a certain point, I guess." Linka shrugged and headed for the stairs herself, anxious to grab Loni and get new clothes. She wastired of wearing what seemed to be the same outfit every day. _I mean, who_ does _that?_ She thought to herself as she made her way upstairs. _That's the type of stuff only people in cartoons do._

She wandered down the hall to Loki and Loni's room, knocking twice. She heard a muffled noise that she took to mean "come in" and turned the knob, blinking at the scene in front of her. Loki stood in the center of the room wearing an expensive looking suit, apparently very bored and texting on his phone. Next to him, Loni stood with a length of measuring tape, several pins sticking out of his mouth. He looked up and waved to Linka before measuring Loki's left leg and adjusting his pants accordingly with one of the pins.

"Are you wearing a suit?" Linka asked dumbly. Loki let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Bebe's taking me to this lame party even though there are literally a million cooler things we could do." His phone buzzed and he zoned out for a few moments as he read and responded to the text message. "It's a formal thing, I guess, so I asked Loni to help me out."

"Makes sense, he is the fashion guru after all." Loni had been the one to suggest an orange wardrobe for Linka, picking up on her insecurity and knowing that the shade might bring some color to Linka's complexion.

Loni mumbled something around the pins that neither sibling understood, nodding his head.

"Lon, we can't understand you with that stuff in your mouth." Loki told him flatly. Loni smacked his forehead and nodded once more, carefully removing the pins from his mouth and placing them on his nightstand.

"I'm done taking measurements anyway. The suit will totes fit so well!" Loni began to unbutton Loki's jacket, but Loki smacked his hands away.

"I can undress myself, Loni. You and Linka go get something from the kitchen or something while I change." Loki once again turned his attention to his phone, smiling at one of the messages he just received. He tip-tapped a reply and then looked up at the two of them, raising an eyebrow. "Like, now."

"I am kind of hungry." Linka admitted, and Loni's stomach made a low grumbling noise of agreement.

"Me too."

"Let's see if Sam left anything in the fridge from the last time he was here!" And with that, both teens made a beeline for the kitchen, the thought of Sam's cooking ushering them forward. Linka reached the kitchen a few steps ahead of Loni, yanking the fridge open and scouring its contents with her emerald eyes. She had almost given up hope when she noticed a large foil-covered dish tucked near the back of the fridge with a note attached to it. Lifting the dish out, she took a peak at the note and couldn't help but smile while she read it aloud.

 _Made some takoyaki at home. Make sure you guys heat it up in the oven before trying it. It's gonna be weird but I have a feeling you guys will like it. This is the second batch I had to make because Luke inhaled the last one._

 _P.S. He doesn't know this is in the fridge, it was the only way they'd last long enough to be discovered._

 _P.S.S. If you find this first babe, I'm sorryyyyy xoxo_

 _-Sam "the man" Crowley_

"What the heck is takoyaki?" Linka and Loni peaked under the foil to see two dozen golf ball sized snacks covered in what looked like soy sauce. She shrugged and set the plate down on the counter, turning the oven on. "Loni, do you wanna throw some paper plates on the table real quick while I grab everyone? I think Sam would want us to share these." He nodded and she beamed at him before bounding up the stairs, rounding up each of her brothers with the promise of food. They all converged in the kitchen, peppering Luke with questions about the takoyaki because he was the only one that had had it before.

"Look, dudes. All I'm going to say is that it's totally rad." Luke waved his hands to fend off more questions. "Bros, Sam had to hide these to make sure you guys got any, because he knew that if I knew about them, they'd be gone in a second."

This seemed to appease the Loud children, and they waited impatiently for the food to heat up. During the wait, Loni made everyone smoothies to go along with their food and set them down in front of his siblings. He had just finished cleaning the blender and putting it away when the timer went off. The tray they had set the takoyaki on was placed on top of the oven, and each sibling was given 2 morsels of the strange food, leaving 2 each for their parents to try once they got home.

Lynn was the first one to muster up the courage to try the dish, stabbing one of the balls with a fork and popping it into his mouth. He chewed for a few moments and his eyes went wide, letting out a noise between a moan and a sigh after swallowing. "That is _amazing._ "

Not needing any more encouragement, the Loud children dug in, each of them mirroring Lynn's reaction as they ate. Soon, everyone's plate was empty and they all wished that they had more. Linka was finishing her smoothie when Loni tapped her shoulder and then pointed at the clock on the stove. It was already 4 o'clock.

"Wanna head to the mall, Linkie? We have a few hours before mom and dad will be starting dinner." He smiled when she nodded her head yes, and they both got themselves ready for the trip. Linka put on a simple orange dress, preferring that to wiggling out of a skirt and top every time she wanted to try something on. She grabbed a black belt to cinch around her waist, accentuating her still-developing curves, and put her hair up with a small flower-shaped orange clip. She was just slipping on a pair of white flats when Loni knocked on her door to get her. They made their way to Loni's car, a cheap little Japanese model that he used mainly to go to work.

The drive was largely uneventful, with Linka gazing out the window and listening to the soft pop music that Loni always had playing while he drove. For all of his brain farts, Loni was a surprisingly competent driver, never once making a mistake as he made his way through the busy streets. Another thing Linka noticed is that he was uncharacteristically silent while he drove, which she chalked up to the concentration he gave to the task.

When they arrived at the mall a quarter of an hour later, the two siblings made their way to a new clothing store called Chic Fabric. Linka had never been inside the store, but the mannequins in the windows always wore beautiful clothes and Loni swore that there was no better store in the entire mall.

"My friend Cheryl works here." Loni was saying as he steered his sister through the front double doors. He had mentioned Cheryl quite a lot recently, and Linka was excited to meet the girl. "She is totes a _genius_ when it comes to fashion! She's taught me so much over the years, I owe pretty much all I know about fashion to her." He practically flung the doors open, revealing a brightly lit room where mirrors covered every wall, reflecting Linka's blinking visage back at her wherever she looked.

Peppered throughout the large space were mannequins of all shapes and sizes standing on raised platforms and wearing every color imaginable. It seemed as if there was no rhyme or reason to how the place was organized until she noticed that around each mannequin's platform, there was a circular rack containing the outfits that each figure was modeling. In addition, it seemed like each outfit was offered in no less than 6 different colors each, ranging from muted pastel yellow to blazing neon reds depending on the outfit.

At the end of the room there was a long counter that had a sewing machine mounted at one end and spools of fabric spilling over one another as if trying to compete for attention. Behind the desk stood one of the most beautiful women Linka had ever seen. She was close to Loni's age and was sorting through the piles of fabric.

She wasn't thin like the mannequins around the store, her body type reminding the younger girl of an Amazon from one of her comic books. Her skin tone was very fair, and it seemed to shine as if some internal light was breathing life into the freckled skin. Straight, fiery red hair cascaded over the woman's shoulders and across her back, reaching her waist in a shimmering sea of flame. She wore a long-sleeved, deep green dress with a scoop neck that, while not being form-fitting, seemed to tease at the outline of her curvaceous body in a way that was just as alluring as a skin tight bodysuit. To top off the look, pitch-black sunglasses covered the woman's eyes and blood red lipstick contrasted sharply with her pale face, which lit up with a smile as she spied Loni and Linka.

"Loni!" The woman's voice was husky and filled with delight. She had a slight southern drawl that Linka found pleasing. "I was worried I wasn't going to see my favorite customer this week!"

"Hey Cheryl! I brought someone to meet you. This is my sister Linka that I've been telling you about." Loni's voice was full of his usual joy. Linka blushed crimson as Cheryl turned to her, suddenly feeling woefully plain compared to the woman in front of her. She mumbled a shy greeting, which amused the older girl.

"You are so cute! How do you get your hair like that? I try to dye and bleach mine but I've given up tryin' to tame this darn color." Cheryl held up a lock of her shiny red hair once more and playfully grimaced as if noticing the color for the first time.

"I think it's lovely!" Linka blurted out, not wanting to seem rude. She struggled to regain her composure. "It's got so much life, not like mine." Linka held up a stray lock of her own hair and grimaced not-so-playfully at the specimen.

"Please, girl, your hair is to _die_ for. I know so many women who would literally kill to get their hair to be such a pure white." The older girl shifted to get a better look at Linka's head, as if getting closer would help her find out how Linka did it. "You've _got_ to tell me how you do it. Please?"

Linka felt her face grow warm again as she smiled wanly. "I was born with it, I'm albino."

"That is so _badass_!" Cheryl drawled. "I should have known, you're the only person I've met who makes me look tanned." She laughed, a raspy sound that was pleasing to the ears. "I don't have albinism or anything but I do have my own little quirk." With that statement, she removed her sunglasses.

Linka gasped at Cheryl's eyes, one a bright shimmering blue and the other a deep brown. Cheryl laughed once more at the younger girl's expression of wonderment. "It's called Heterochromia Iridum. My eyes, for some-such reason, got different types or different amounts of pigment at some point or another."

"It's amazing," the younger girl replied. "they're so pretty."

"You'll make me blush." Cheryl shot back with a wink of her blue eye. "Besides, your eyes are stunning. The shade of green is really nice, and I know a few color choices that'll really make 'em pop." She nodded to Loni and grabbed Linka's hand, leading her into a back room next to the counter. As she did so, Loni began to wander among the clothing racks, selecting a few different outfits and dresses for Linka to try on. Linka was led to an area that consisted of 4 different changing rooms, each with their own slatted wooden door to provide a modicum of privacy to person inside. Cheryl ushered her into one of the rooms as Loni came in with his arms full of clothes.

"Alright," the older girl smiled. "let's get this show on the road!"

…

In the mirrored changing room located next to the counter, Linka let out a defeated sigh. More than an hour had passed and she hadn't tried anything on that she liked. The clothes were beautiful, but that wasn't the problem.

She was the problem.

Linka heard Cheryl and Loni talking about something out in the store, Cheryl's raspy laugh sounding out once more as Loni asked what was so funny. Linka smiled momentarily as she struggled out of the bright green blouse she had been trying on, sure that Loni had once again misunderstood something. The smile disappeared when she looked back to the mirror, the muted incandescent lighting falling on her bare shoulders. She wore a black strapless bra and nothing else from the waist up, the dark strip of fabric contrasting harshly with her skin.

Linka unzipped the red skirt she had been trying on and let it fall to reveal a pair of matching black panties. She stepped out of the skirt and tried not to look at herself, failing due to the mirrored walls.. Her eyes began the process they always did, unbidden and unwanted. She traveled the entire expanse of her body, hopelessly trying to will some sort of color into her alabaster skin. Tears sprang to her eyes as she hugged herself, trying and failing to squash the sense of shame she always felt when looking at her body.

 _Who would want this?_ She thought miserably, her breath hitching as she rubbed at her eyes. _I look like a dead person, like I'd be cold to the touch._

The tears really began to flow as she thought back to the events of the last hour, where Loni and Cheryl had her try on all manner of bright and flashy colors in an attempt to breathe some life into Linka's complexion, to no avail. Outfit after outfit, all Linka could see was a sad, pale girl trying to compensate for the fact that she had no color of her own. She ran a hand through her snowy hair, desperately wishing it could be as vibrant and colorful as Cheryl's. A small sob wracked her frame as she fell to her knees, feeling as small as an ant. No matter where she looked, her own pained face looked back at her from the mirrors.

 _I'll never be normal. No one's ever going to look at me the way I want to be looked at. I was stupid for thinking that a new set of clothes could change the fact that I'm a freak._

She was weeping full force now, huge sobs tearing their way through her chest and making her throat sore as she gulped for air. She knew she was being ridiculous and unreasonable, she knew how wrong her way of thinking was, and she knew that she was incredibly lucky Levi had managed to help her out at all. None of that mattered, though, because she still felt the same sense of hopelessness every time she saw her reflection.

Loni and Cheryl walked into the area and stopped when they heard the heaving sobs coming from Linka's changing room, both of them dropping what they were holding and rushing to the door. Cheryl opened the door and crouched next to the crying girl, her arm wrapping around Linka's narrow shoulders. Linka started at the touch but quickly buried her face in Cheryl's shoulder as her sobs began anew. Loni stood in the doorway, wanting to hold his sister but he was uncomfortably aware of the fact that she was only wearing underwear and the didn't want to make the situation awkward. He settled for crouching next to the two girls and running his hand through Linka's hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hey, hey, calm down. Deep breaths, girl, you're gonna make yourself sick." Cheryl patted Linka's back as Linka's sobs began to relent, the younger girl gasping for breath as she desperately tried to keep herself from hyperventilating. "Y'wanna tell us what this is about?"

Linka took a shuddering breath and shook her head, looking at her reflection again. She frowned subconsciously at herself in the mirror. "It's nothing, I'm just being silly. I'm sorry for worrying you guys."

Cheryl frowned, knowing that the younger girl was more upset than she let on. "Loni," she said, looking at her friend. "can you go grab that one outfit we were talkin' about right before we came in? Take a minute please."

"Uhh, sure. Why take a minute?" Loni's eyes were filled, as usual, with a child-like confusion, mixed with concern for his younger sister.

"Your sister and I have to have a girl talk."

"Okay, Cher." With that, Loni got up and began to search the store.

Cheryl turned to Linka, who was still kneeling on the floor miserably. She dragged the younger girl to her feet and handed her her clothes. After making sure she was decent, Cheryl sat with her on a bench that ran the length of one of the mirrored walls. A long while passed before either of them spoke.

"What did you want to talk about?" Linka finally broke the silence awkwardly, unsure of herself.

"Ya mean besides the obvious 'why were you cryin' like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting'?" Cheryl smiled softly as the young girl shrugged her shoulders, clearly embarrassed. Cheryl's voice was a lot more gentle when she spoke again. "I'm just teasing, Linka. I get it."

"Get what?" Linka couldn't bring herself to look at Cheryl. She was sure that the stunning girl sitting next to her couldn't possibly know how she felt.

"What it's like to be different. To be made to feel like you're not like the people you grow up with. To look in the mirror every morning and wish _so hard_ to be anybody but yourself." Cheryl put a hand on Linka's shoulder as the younger girl turned to face her, eyes still red-rimmed and watery. "I may not seem it, but there was a time where I would have given just about anything to just have normal eyes. To not be me."

"I just..." Linka's voice broke as she tried to explain the hurt buried deep in her chest. "I look like a cheap knockoff of what a girl's supposed to look like, you know? I feel like a doll that someone never finished and now they can't be bothered to pick up where they left off." More tears began to trace their way down her cheeks as she gave voice to her feelings. "I'm just being a baby."

"That's what I thought too. I thought 'there are plenty of girls out there who have it much worse than I do. What right do I have feeling this way?'" Linka nodded her head in agreement. "It's hard to be different, especially when it's something you can't hide. Especially in the south. You know, Loni was the first friend I made when I moved up here. He walked right up to me in 7th grade and told me 'Your eyes are beautiful!'" She smiled at the memory, removing her sunglasses to show Linka her own tear filled orbs. "He said it was like God had two favorite colors and decided to give them both to me."

Linka smiled back, knowing how much of a sweetheart Loni was and thanking her lucky stars she could call him her brother. "I honestly don't think he has it in him not to speak his mind."

"He really doesn't." Cheryl chuckled. "He was the first person to make me feel like maybe my eyes weren't something to try to dissociate myself from, but something to embrace and make my own. Bein' different isn't always a bad thing."

"But your eyes _are_ beautiful! I'm just... colorless. A sad, pale excuse of a girl." Linka's shoulders slumped.

"I used to think my eyes were the ugliest thing on the planet." Cheryl confided in the younger girl. Linka looked at her disbelievingly, and she continued. "It's true, it got to the point where after a pretty bad day of teasing I got home and... Well..." Cheryl faltered at the end of her sentence, unsure of how to continue.

"What?" Linka asked. She gasped as Cheryl pulled the sleeves of her dress up, revealing a patchwork of thin, pale scars that adorned her forearms.

"I started doin' some really stupid shit, Linka." Cheryl said in a somber voice. "And I realized way too late that it was for a very stupid reason."

Linka was at a loss for words. Unable to find the right thing to say, she threw her arms around the older girl and squeezed, hoping to convey what she felt. Cheryl squeezed back, grateful that Linka hadn't reacted negatively to her arms.

"I guess what I'm tryin' to say is not to get so caught up in how you view yourself that you stop noticing how other people see you. You're a beautiful girl, Linka, and you're gonna make someone really happy someday. I'm sure there's at least _one_ person out there who makes you forget all about your problems."

"I mean, there is this one guy but I don't see him a whole lot anymore. We used to date, but he didn't really seem to want to try the whole long distance thing and I didn't want to push." Linka sighed and thought about Ron Andy and his tough-guy attitude.

"I bet he was super stone-faced and stoic about it, huh?" Cheryl asked with a smirk. "Kinda just plowed through the conversation and then he had something to do somewhere else?"

Linka nodded sadly, remembering the feeling of loneliness as she sat alone on the park bench, trying to pick up the pieces of her confused heart. She felt she had left a lot of it on that bench that day.

"Typical stupid boy. Probably cried his eyes out on the way home." Cheryl said matter-of-factly.

"What? He's not exactly the crying type. He's a pretty rough and tumble kind of guy."

"I've met enough bad boys to know that they feel just as strongly as everyone else about these things, if not stronger. It's got something to do with not showin' a lot of emotion so they're secretly saps about a lot of stuff. Trust me, Linka, he's probably been beatin' himself up this whole time thinkin' he broke your heart."

"He wouldn't be wrong about my heart..."

Cheryl stood suddenly, hands on her waist and face settling into a determined expression. She turned to Linka and reached out to her. "C'mon. We're gonna find you the perfect outfit to show this guy exactly what he's been missing out on!"

Linka stared for a moment before smiling, nodding her head and grabbing Cheryl's outstretched hand. The two girls found Loni in the store digging through the shelves in a confused way.

"Uhhh, Lon? What are you doing?" Cheryl asked the blonde boy.

"You told me to take a minute, but there's no clock in this store."

Both girls blinked at him for what seemed like ages, trying to find a hint of humor in his expression and finding only the same child-like innocence and confusion that was always there. Shaking their heads, they pulled him to the changing rooms, where he and Cheryl began to work at the problem at hand. Linka watched them work, her heart in her throat as she continued to think about Ron Andy.

…

After half an hour, Linka stood in front of the mirrors wearing a baby-blue dress that came down to just above her knees, the satin material draping over her body and subtly catching the light. The sharp "v" in the front of the dress revealed a large expanse of pale skin. A red clip kept her bangs out of her face as she turned herself this way and that to see how she looked. She loved the color, but the way the dressed hugged her body made her blush uncontrollably. This dress was just too sexy, too over-the-top. She called Cheryl into the room to get her opinion.

"Oooh, girl, work it!" The older girl laughed, eyeing Linka up and down. She nodded appreciatively when Linka twirled in place. "It's a little showy to be an every day thing, but the color is exactly what I was going for. The lighter shade offsets your eyes and brings out some color to your skin. If I was this Ron Andy guy, right about now I'd be regrettin' my decision to let you go."

Linka changed quickly into a similar colored sundress that felt much more comfortable to her. The soft fabric rested on her shoulders and seemed to soften everything about her. Instead of the sharp curves of the last dress, she had gentle slopes, with the small "u" of the neckline not revealing anything that could be considered an inappropriate amount of skin. She went to put the satin dress back but Cheryl stopped her.

"Keep it, it's on the house." She held her hands up to quell any forthcoming arguments. "I insist. It's the least I can do, considerin' how much fun it's been hanging out with you. I want you to wear it when this Ron Andy fella visits. It'll really knock him off his feet."

Linka hesitated and then nodded, grateful for the gift. She picked up the pile of pastel-colored clothing she had decided to buy and cocked her head to the side, a question springing into her mind.

"Cheryl, is there a guy you like? Someone that makes you feel the way you keep talking about?"

"Duh, you walked in with him." Cheryl blushed a little at the statement. "We've been on a few dates, actually. I think he plans on bringin' me by sometime soon to meet all of you guys. I'm really glad I got to meet you before that, it's gonna make it a whole lot easier on me knowing I already hit it off with one of Loni's siblings. You okay, Linka?" She added this last question because Linka had calmly set the pile of clothes back on the bench and was shaking slightly. Cheryl reached for the young girl, concerned that she might break into another sobbing fit.

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" Linka shrieked and began hopping up and down, grabbing both of Cheryl's hands in excitement. "I should have guessed, he's always talking about you! You guys are so cute!"

"Whoa! Down, girl!" Cheryl placed her hands on Linka's shoulders, unable to keep herself from smiling at the younger girl's enthusiasm. "You've got quite a range of emotions going on today, little lady."

"I can't help it, I'm sorry. That seems to happen any time I find out two people are dating."

"It's alright," the older girl replied with a laugh. "I'm going to ring these clothes up for you, take as much time as you need to look through the rest of them. Call out for me if you need anything, alright?" She picked up the pile of clothes and left.

Linka looked at her reflection. Her eyes underwent the same journey they always did, traveling her entire body in a detailed search. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Linka liked what she saw.

 _Being different isn't always a bad thing._

 _Look out, Ron Andy. Linka Loud is coming your way!_

 **AN: Hello again, all! I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I've been caught between work and getting ready for my lifestyle change and this story was forced onto the backburner for most of the week. I hope I didn't make this chapter too teen angsty, and I hope that this story is still one that's worthy of the attention it seems to be attracting. Seeing the follow/favorite numbers climb practically brings tears to my eyes.**

 **Ron Andy will be making an appearance in the near future, but before that we're going to be seeing a few more of Linka's brothers. As always, please review and favorite/follow if you like the story so far, and please share any constructive criticisms that you guys have. I'm doing my best to incorporate what you guys are sharing and suggesting, and I appreciate all of the feedback I'm getting for the story!**

 **I'm hoping to get at least two more chapters out before I have to take my break, and then I fully intend on wrapping up this arc so I can work on a different arc altogether or maybe a few one-shots. This has been ThirdCoffin rambling again, have a fantastic rest of your day!**


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